European Commission 3rd Health Programme Work Plan 2018 – Call for proposals

On 25 January 2018, the European Commission issued a call for proposals for funding projects aimed at scaling up integrated care in the field of non communicable diseases. The main objective is to support the pan-EU collaboration between health and/or social services actors at national, regional or locals levels with a view to supporting Member States to reach the UN/WHO voluntary global targets on non-communicable diseases as well as the Sustainable Development Goal 3.4.

As per this call, the EU Commission’s priority in this area “is on transferring and/or scaling-up of existing good and best practices” as this will reduce (co-) morbidity/mortality, increase well-being for citizens and patients and ultimately contribute to increasing the cost-effectiveness of health systems”.

The focus of the call, “integrated care,” refers to coordinating services and providers (including social stakeholders) along the continuum of care with a view to “improving or maintaining an individual’s functional status, prolonging life and enhancing its quality by reducing discomfort caused by symptoms.”

In this framework, the EU Commission aims to assist care authorities with the design and implementation of a system of integrated care, through guidance and best practice sharing. Scaling up integrated care relies on – amongst other things – setting new care models based on empowering patients, delivering care at home and community settings, and incorporating prevention strategies to preserve the well-being and functional capacity of patients. Other important elements include: training the healthcare workforce in new skills and roles; organising multi-disciplinary care teams and ensuring an appropriate use of ICT (eHealth and telemedicine) to facilitate the delivery of care services outside hospitals.

More on the call for proposals here.

The deadline for this call is 25 April 2018.